Amy dives in to help Fijian children
Cowra Community News, 20 November 2011
http://cowracommunitynews.com
COWRA High School student Amy Eldridge has found a particularly imaginative way to occupy her time before she begins university studies.
Ms Eldridge, fresh from completing her Higher School Certificate, has volunteered to spend seven months working as an assistant teacher in a village school located in Lutu, in the central mountain area of the main island of Fiji.
Ms Eldridge tells CCN Editor, Garry Starr, in an interview recorded last week that she wanted to do something a bit different while she waits to begin her Health Science and Indigenous Studies degree at Wollongong University.
She says that her time in Fiji should assist her university course.
Ms Eldridge has linked up with an organisation called Lattitude Global Volunteering, which provides international volunteering opportunities for young people aged up to 25 years.
According to the Lattitude website, Fiji is made up of some 330 islands in the tropical South Pacific with a mixture of Melanesian, Polynesian, Micronesian and European influences.
The local people are warm, friendly and extremely generous, despite often having little in the form of material possessions and wealth.
Fiji is a developing country with an enchanting mix of cultural traditions, strong religious faiths and stunning scenery.
Lattitude volunteers work with community organisations and local schools, where they use skills gained from their own educational background to improve people’s lives.
Ms Eldridge has been working as a life guard at Cowra Aquatic Centre for the last two years. She was also a member of the 2011 Cowra Youth Council.
Earlier this year she took part in the re-enactment of the 1965 state freedom ride organised by the late Aboriginal activist Charles Perkins.